A Tamil Nadu farmer protesting at Jantar Mantar allegedly attempted suicide on 24 July, as per The Indian Express. He was taken to Ram Manohar Lohia hospital for treatment and is reportedly stable.

Farmers from Tamil Nadu have resumed their protest in Delhi after their demands for a drought relief package and farm loan waiver had not been met. Last week, they had beaten themselves up with chappals and raised slogans expressing unhappiness over the rise in the salaries of Tamil Nadu legislators.

The background

Speaking to Hindustan Times, Ayyakkannu, the leader of the farmer protests had said, “If our demands are not met, we will start our protest again after May 25. We will leave today if we get train tickets.” He referred to the farmer protests that were going on from 14 March 2017. They had suspended their protests after having a meeting with Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi Palaniswami on 23 April 2017.

Over 100 farmers from Tamil Nadu were protesting at the Jantar Mantar in the Delhi since 14 March. The farmers hailed from Trichy, Karur, and Thanjavur districts of Tamil Nadu.

The protesting farmers caught national attention through innovative, but often shocking modes of agitations. They sat holding human skulls of their kin that they claimed were of farmers who were forced to commit suicide earlier, ate mice, shaved their heads, conducted mock funerals, marched naked outside the Prime Minister’s office and even drank their urine in a bid to protest over drought relief and loan waivers from Centre.

Farmers from Tamil Nadu have suffered due to drought and subsequent cyclone in the state. Shortage of water was one of the primary reason owing to which the farmers were unable to grow crops on over 29 lakh hectare of land in Cauvery delta since 2016.In January 2017, Tamil Nadu government declared the state drought-hit after over 100 farmers allegedly committed suicide. Along with this is the imminent danger of increasing debt and poverty.

The current situation

The second surge of farmer agitations in the capital city had started off with more than 100 protesters. This time they had the support of the All India Kisan Sangarsh (AIKS) – spearheaded by VM Singh, a Hindi-speaking farmer from Uttar Pradesh.

Their demands are the same as that of the initial rounds of protests viz. a central drought relief fund, pension for old farmers, setting up of Cauvery Management Board, crop insurance for individual farmers and profitable prices for agricultural produce.

The protesting farmers had expressed dissatisfaction over the hike in Tamil Nadu MLAs’ salaries that was introduced on 19 July. The MLAs would now take home Rs 1.5 lakhs as compared to Rs 55,000 as salary.

Amidst all of this, came the heartening news of a protesting farmer, Subramani, attempting suicide by consuming ten sleeping pills. The police have, however, not considered this as an effort to suicide; they claim that the farmer had fallen sick.

The Logical Indian staunchly condemn the episode, the need for which would not have arisen if the demands of the protesting farmers had been met by the Centre and the State Governments. The second round of protests have shown that the farmers are not here to run away from the battle ground – they are here to stay and fight tooth and nail for what they truly deserve. In a country where agriculture forms the backbone of the economy, it is saddening to see how the concerned authorities have turned a deaf ear to the problems of the farmers.

After Govt Fails To Meet Demands, Tamil Nadu Farmers Are Back In Delhi With More Support

Partner Story

This Mother’s Day, Let Us Make A Real Difference In Our Mother’s Life

“All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.” – Abraham Lincoln

Mothers play a crucial role in our lives. Since we were little, they held our hands, acting as our guide into the world. They took care of all our needs – from teaching us how to hold a spoon, cooking delicious meals for us, dropping us to school and sitting with us while we struggled with our math homework – mothers have been there through thick and thin.

On the special occasion of Mother’s Day, Friends Adult Diapers has a beautiful message for each of us – treat your mother the way she has treated you all her life.

It was our mothers who stayed up all night taking care of us when we fell sick; it was her who help us with our homework. This Mother’s Day, remember to take care and support your mother the way she took care of you all these years.

The minds and bodies of our ageing parents dwindle as they grow even older, and somewhere in the incoherence of understanding their thoughts, children lose patience. They spend less and less time with their parents and hire others to look after them. A study by HelpAge India gives accounts of the elderly, most of whom testify to verbal abuse, neglect and disrespect by their children. Old people rely on their children for both emotional and financial support but, often times are not given the needed care.

There is little difference in how we were as toddlers and how parents are as senior citizens. They couldn’t understand the gibber we uttered then, yet taught us different languages. We were financially dependent on them till at least 18 years of age yet, they never said no to giving us pocket money. Why cannot we echo the same patience our parents showed for so many years?

Our parents have an unconditional love for us. They made sure all our needs are cared for and we never feel alone. When we grow up and our parents enter old age, they require the same care and affection. They would be delighted if we spent time with them after classes or work, make tea or cook for them and also help them with household chores when they have too many things at hand.

It is our responsibility to stand with our parents when they are weak; it is our responsibility to cook for them when they are too tired, and it is our responsibility to take care of them when they fall sick.

Mother’s Day is a celebration in honour of motherhood, a tribute to maternal bonds and the influence of mothers in society. Let us make a real difference by showing how much we truly care for our mothers.

Friends Adult Diapers has taken a wonderful initiative in this regard. The most precious gift for a mother is her child. So why not take this as an opportunity to shower her with the same love? After all, she deserves it for being with you through every obstacle and every hardship that you faced.